This afternoon, a venture to Columbus to acquire a truly massive television, one more massive than I had any sense until it was in the living room. It's only 26", but it's wide, and that makes a difference. This television is made for movies (which is all it will ever have to play with): it has that 16:9 thing going on, and I am about to enjoy my first experience with living room widescreen goodness.

To make some kind of amends that I feel I need to make for having gone over to the dark side of larger television ownership--I who had a "kill your television" icon sticker and who refuse to have cable in the house--I'm offering you a pair of images from the très pastoral drive down to the home electronics store (for which I won't shill, damnit). Note: mid-Ohio raininess, a barn falling down, cows standing. The litany of my life. Note also (those of you who worry): I did not take these pictures; my traveling companion and television-lifter managed the camera on the outbound trip, before we forgot to put it within reach for the return. Today was one of those days where it was lighter at 8 p.m. than at 1:30 p.m.